Persons afield, especially solo hunters, experience difficulty in safely and conveniently hoisting their bow, camera or other impedimenta up into (or down from) elevated places. Such places include shooting platforms. A person can only carry so much while his or her hands are occupied with an activity like climbing or scaling. Many such activities take place within a score or so feet of the ground. A need exists for a convenient and safe device for hoisting and lowering relatively light items to and from a height. Such a device should be readily accessible, not be prone to snag on objects while being carried, should have means for automatically retrieving its line after use or when desired, and should be able to be adjustable to payout only the amount of line desired.
U.S. design patent U.S. Pat. No. D318,941 might show a hoist. The design patent's drawings suggest a folding crank that might be used manually to retrieve a line and suggest an unstowable hook. The line shown appears to be cylindrical wire or string. This device appears not to be able automatically to retrieve its line, appears to be prone to snagging on objects while being carried because of its unstowable hook, and appears not to have means for paying out only the amount of line needed.
An object of the present invention is a hoist that is designed to be able to be used to hoist relatively light items while being easy and convenient to carry. More particular objects of the present invention are a hoist that allows one to use only as much line as is needed, a hoist that has self contained automatic means for retrieving and stowing line after use or when desired, and a hoist that is not prone to snag on objects while being carried.